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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-12679

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Includem’s open letter titled "Simply Scran", how it will work with local authorities to eradicate school meal debt.

We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges. We are working with our partners in local authorities to fully understand the issue of school meal debt.

Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria. We would urge local authorities to continue to do all they can to resolve any payment issues without withdrawing meals from pupils.

Question reference: S6W-12678

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Includem’s open letter titled "Simply Scran" and its call for three nutritious meals a day, how it will work with local authorities to ensure that, in light of rising costs of living, school meals will continue to be of good nutritional value to children and young people regardless of where they live.

All food and drink served in all education authority and grant aided schools must meet the standards set out in the 'Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020'. The Regulations are based on scientific evidence and dietary advice and are designed to ensure children and young people are provided with an appropriate amount of energy and key nutrients to support their healthy growth and development.

Question reference: S6W-12677

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Includem’s open letter titled "Simply Scran", whether there are plans to review the income eligibility thresholds for free school meals in order to reflect the real costs of living for families.

The Scottish Government keeps the income eligibility thresholds for free school meals under review and we will consider the current thresholds ahead of the start of the 2023-24 academic year. The income eligibility thresholds were most recently reviewed and updated and amended ahead of the current academic term in August 2022. Further information on eligibility criteria is available through the following web link: School meals - mygov.scot .

Question reference: S6W-12465

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Highland regarding the potential sale of Lochbroom House, Ullapool, to Parklands Care Homes, and when the most recent discussions took place.

Question reference: S6W-12466

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the level of care to be provided at Lochbroom House, Ullapool, in the event that it is taken over by a private provider.

Question reference: S6W-12468

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential long-term impact of the pay, terms and conditions of staff at Lochbroom House, Ullapool, in the event that it is taken over by a private provider.

Question reference: S6W-12467

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the potential sale of Lochbroom House, Ullapool, to Parklands Care Homes.

Question reference: S6W-12281

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that there has been no firefighter cover on multiple dates across large parts of the Highlands and Islands, what plans are being put in place to resolve any personnel shortages.

Recruitment, training and deployment of firefighters are Operational decisions for the SFRS board and chief officer. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has provided assurance that at no point was there ever no firefighter cover for any area in Scotland. SFRS ensure that at any time a fire appliance is not available the nearest available appliance is mobilised to ensure every emergency is attended to.

In common with all parts of the UK and beyond, there are challenges with recruitment and retention of on-call firefighters in remote and rural areas in Scotland. SFRS has established a National On Call Leadership Forum which is identifying and driving improvements in recruitment.

Question reference: S6W-11991

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11608 by Mairi Gougeon on 1 November 2022, whether it will provide a list of the infrastructure that it is, or is planning to, improve with the £4.45 million funding package.

11 projects are being funding through the Islands Programme this financial year. These include a new visitor centre and electric vehicle charging points at Old Man of Storr, nine ‘Island Pit Stops’ at Arran and Cumbrae with better facilities for visitors, a new nursery at Kirkwall to replace an existing building earmarked for demolition and improvement of critical sea front infrastructure at Tobermory. The 11 projects funded by the 2022-23 Islands Programme are:

1. Island Community Halls Digital Hubs, £100,000. Coll, Iona, Islay and Tiree.

2. Tobermory Seawall and Railings Improvements, £250,000. Mull.

3. Ionad Hiort – RIBA Stage 4 design fees, £167,000. Lewis. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

4. Community Facilities Programme – Uist, £347,781. Berneray, North Uist, Eriskay.

5. Old Surgery Housing Enablement, £72,000. Eigg.

6. The Old Man of Storr, £440,000. Skye.

7. Regeneration of Millport Town Hall – phase 2, £509,450. Cumbrae.

8. Island Pit Stops, £540,000. Arran and Cumbrae.

9. New Kirkwall Nursery, £1,500,000. Mainland Orkney.

10. Aald Skul Enterprise Development £88,095. Mainland Shetland.

11. Papa Stour Kirk Development £252,505. Papa Stour. Shetland Islands Council.

Question reference: S6W-11436

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on (a) the work of the Remote and Rural General Practice Working Group and (b) any planned developments in rural general practice and primary care.

The Remote and Rural General Practice Working Group was created in 2018 to support the implementation of the GP Contract in remote and rural areas. It met between 2018 and 2022. In 2020, the Group put forward recommendations to Ministers which are contained within its Shaping the Future Together Report. The Group last met on the 9 th June 2022 and agreed to bring the Group to an end.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting and developing rural general practice and primary care. In terms of planned developments, The Scottish Government is working to develop a Remote and Rural workforce recruitment strategy by the end of 2024. This will support employers to ensure that the Health and Social Care needs of people who live in remote and rural communities are met. In addition, The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2021-22 included a commitment to create a centre of excellence for rural and remote medicine and social care, with scoping work starting in 2021-22. The Scottish Government has been working closely with NHS Education Scotland (NES) over recent months to carry out extensive scoping and consultation with stakeholders. NES has submitted a business case for the Centre. The Scottish Government is evaluating the business case and considering next steps.

We are already taking forward a range of initiatives to support recruitment and retention of workforce in rural General Practice. The Golden Hello scheme offers a one-off bursary of £10,000 to every GP taking up an eligible post in a remote and rural area. Furthermore, ScotGEM is a four-year graduate-entry medical degree which began in 2018, with a focus on rural medicine and healthcare improvement, supporting graduates to choose careers in general practice. The Scottish Government is also supporting an initiative by the four rural boards in the north of Scotland, NHS Shetland, NHS Orkney, NHS Highland and NHS Western Isles who have piloted an innovative recruitment campaign called Rediscover The Joy (RTJ). RTJ aims to recruit experienced GPs to provide support for remote and rural practices.